Wire-netting machine.



'A. -BARLOW. WIRE NBTTING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED Ill. 18, 1907.

902,198.- Patented Oct. 27,1908.

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A; E. BARLOWI WIRE NETTING MACHINE. APPLICATION I'IIIED MAR. 18, 1907.

Patented Oct.27, 1908.

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SSAGHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO WRIGHT WIRE TTS, A CORPORATION OFMASSACHUSETTS.

. a: WIRE-NETTING MACHINE.

Patented Oct. 2'7, 1908.

Application filed March 18, 1907. Serial No. 362,847.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ARTHUR E. BARLOW, a citizen of the United States,residing at \Vorcester, in the county of WVorcester and Commonwealth ofMassachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in aVVire-Netting Machine, of which the following is a specification,accompanied by drawings forming a part of the same, in which- Figure lis an end view of the framework of a wire netting machine embodying myin vention, shown in section on the plane of one of the bobbin holders.Fig. 2 is a top View of a portion of the bars in which the uppertwisting gears are journaled, at one extremity of their horizontalreciprocating motion.

Fig. 3 is a view of the same at the other extremity of their motion.Fig. 1 is a section on line 1 1, Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a section 011 line5-5, Fig. Fig. 6 represents a por tion of a fabric produced on themachine embodying my invention, and Figs. 7 and 8 represent front "iewsof a portion of a wire netting machine embodying my invention.

Similar reference letters and figures refer to similar parts in thedifferent views.

My invention relates to improvements in a wire netting machine forproducing hexagonal meshed wire netting. By my improvements I am enabledto produce the completed fabric upon one machine, to improve the qualityof the completed fabric and lessen the number of operations required forits production.

My invention comprises means in a single machine for twisting amultiplicity of wires alternately in opposite directions to form aselvage and incorporating said selvage at each alternate twist with thebody of the fabric which is produced at the same time upon the machine,and it consists in the construction and arrangement of parts ashereinafter described and pointed out in the anneXed claims.

The wire netting machine to which my invention relates is provided withtwisting gears made in halves, journaled in a stationary and a slidingbar and actuated by a reciprocating rack, in the well known manner inmachines of this class, and therefore I have not shown in detail theconstruction and operation of the parts of a wire netting machine notdirectly concerned in my present invention, as these parts will be wellunderstood by those familiar with wire netting machines.

Referring to the accompanying drawings 1 is one of the vertical sides ofthe frame work of the machine, 2 and 3 are the upper bars of the machinein which are journaled the upper twisting gears. As is usual in machinesof this class the twisting gears are made in halves, one half being heldin each of the bars 2 and 3; in the usual manner, also, the bar 2 isstationary and the bar 3 capable of a sliding motion, thus providing forthe shifting of the halves of the twisting gears in the well knownmanner.

The upper twisting gears journaled in the bars 2 and 3 consist of halfsections 4 and 5. The half section 1 is provided with a longitudinalhole 6 to receive a wire 7 from a cop or bobbin 8. The half gear section5 is provided at its lower end with a horn 9 having a hole 10 extendingthrough the horn 9 and the gear section 5, to receive a wire 7 broughtthrough the lower twisting gears from a reel, not shown. The horn 9stands obliquely to the axis of the rotating gear sections in order tocarry the wire away from the cop 8. Sliding in the stationary rail 2 isa reciprocating rack 11 engaging the gear sections by which the latterare rotated alternately in opposite directions in order to twist thewires together which pass through the respective gear sections.

As the wires are twisted together to form the fabric, the latter iscarried over a takeup roll 12 having a series of projections 13 engagingthe meshes of the fabric.

The above described portions of the machine are constructed and operatedlike the similar portions in wire netting machines now in common use andwill be readily understood by those conversant with wire nettingmachines.

By my present improvement I provide one of the half sections 14;,corresponding to the half sections 5 before mentioned, in the ma chinewith a multiplicity of holes at the top thereof, in the present instancethree in number, a, b, and 0, Figs. 2 and 3. Through each of the holesa, o, and 0 I conduct a wire 00, y, and a passing the three wirestogether through a single hole in both the lower gear section and theupper gear section 14, thereby bringing the three wires side by side between the lower and upper twisting gears as shown in Fig. 1. I11 theposition shown in Figs 2 and a the half gear section 1% con-- tainingthe three wires, through the holes a, Z), and '0, is combined witha'half gear section 15 which is blank. As the half gear sections 14: and15 are rotated by the movement of the rack 11 the wires :0, y, and .2will be twisted together inone direction above the gear section M asshown at 16, Fig. 6,

the half gear sections 1 containing a single hole 6 .for one of the copwires. Thls position is shown in Figs. 3 and 5. By the return movementof the rack 11 following the change in position of the bar 3, thealready twisted strand 16 containing the three wires 41:, 2 and z istwisted with the single cop wire from the hole 62 as shown at 17 Fig. 7but in the opposite direction from the twist already imparted to thewires 00, y, and 2. The immediate engagement of the cop wire 7 with thetwisted strand 16 prevents all but a slight untwisting above the gearsection 14, but the twist imparted to the three wires below the twistinggear is taken out by this operation. In this way I provide areinforcement or selvage for the fabric which is twisted as it isinserted, and by reversal in the direction of the twisting gears asabove described I obtain a twisted selvage which has not been exposed toa continuous twisting strain in one direction.

' As commonly practiced, the method of making the selvage or reinforcingstrand for wire netting of the class described is to twist the multiplestrands in a separate operation, and to introduce the twisted strandinto the netting machine as a single wire. By this method the strand istwisted continuously throughout its entire length in the same directionwhich requires the annealing of the wire to prevent crystallization. Twooperations, therefore, at present required, are dispensed with by myimprovement, to wit, annealing the wires comprising the selvageorreinforcing strand and twisting the strand by a separate operationupon a separate machine.

The selvage of annealed wire retains all bends which it may acquire,thereby warping and distorting the fabric, and the selvage twisted inone direction throughout its length also tends to curl and therebyprevent the fabric from remaining fiat even if noadditional bends areacquired by the selvage strand. The twist imparted to the three wires a,Z), and 0 below thegear section lt by my improvement subjects the wiresto little torsional strain owing to the length of the wires between theupper and lower gears and in addition the twist is entirely removed ateach alternate rotation of the twisting gears. I find, therefore, nonecessity of annealing "the xvii-es comprising the selvage strand, and Iam enabled to use hard wires possessing a considerable amount ofelasticity, which allows them to recover in the case of accidental bendsreceived by the edge of the fabric. As the selvage strand is not twistedthroughout its length continuously in the same direction it possesses notendency to curl and thereby distort the fabric. I thus, by myinvention, not only largely reduce the cost 'of manufacture by providingthe fabric with a twisted multiple wireselvage strand having the twistsformed simultanously with the twisting operations required to form thefabric itself without lessening the production of the machine, but alsoform a fabric of improved character and appearance.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown the gear sections providedwith steel bushings 18 to resist the abrasion of the wire, and thebushing 18 of the half gear section 1% is provided with the three holesa, b, and 0, the remainder of the section 1% being provided with asingle passage. The bushings 18 are screwed into the gear sections andcan be replaced when worn. I have also shown the half gear section 1%provided with the multiple holes placed at the edge of the fabric whichbrings the multiple wires into position to form a selvage, but thesection 1e if placed in other positions would introduce into the fabrica twisted cable in lieu of a single wire, thereby providing areinforcement which would add strength and stifiness to the fabric.

- I claim,

1. In a wire netting machine of the class described, the combinationwith a wire twisting section provided with a single hole for the passageof a wire, of a second wire twisting section provided with a number ofholes, each hole arranged for the passage of a wire, means for rotatingsaid section carrying more than one wire, separately and in combinationwith said single wire twisting section, alternately.

2. In a wire netting machine of the class described, the combinationwith a wire twisting section provided with a single hole for the passageof a wire, of a second wire twisting section provided with a number ofholes, each hole arranged for the passage of a wire, means for rotatingalternately said section carrying more than one wire separately in onedirection, and in combination with said single wire twisting section inthe opposite direction.

3. In a wire netting machine, of the class described, the combinationwith a series of wire twisting gear sections, each having a hole for thepassage of wires to form the body of the fabric, of a selvage gearsection the body of the fabric,

having a multiplicity/of adjacent holes, and means for carrying "saidselvage gear section into and out of engagement with one of the gearsections having a single hole.

4. In a wire netting machine of the class described, the combinationwith a series of wire twisting gear sections, each having a hole for thepassage of single wires forming of a selvage gear section having amultiplicity of adjacent holes, means for carrying said selvage gearsection into and out of engagement with a gear section having a singlehole, and means for alternately rotating said gear sections in opp0 sitedirections.

5. A wire netting machine of the class described, comprising a singlewire twisting section provided with a multiplicity of holes, each holearranged for the passage of a wire,

and means for rotating said twisting section alternately in oppositedirections.

6. In a wire netting machine of the class described, the combinationwith a wire twisting section provided with a number of holes, each holearranged for the passage of a wire, of a blank section without holes,and means for carrying said twisting section into and out of'engagementwith said blank section.

7 In a Wire netting machine of the class described, the combination witha Wire twisting section provided with a number of holes, each holearranged for the passage of awire, of a blank section without holes,means for carrying said twisting section into and out of engagement withsaid blank section, and means for rotating said twisting section in onedirection while in engagement with said blank section, and in the otherdirection while out of such engagement.

Dated the ninth day of March 1907.

ARTHUR E. BARLOW. Witnesses:

RUFUS B. FOWLER, HENRY WM. FOWLER.

